No slickness, just success for Badgers’ Ryan,
MILWAUKEE
Bo Ryan has never cared much for fads or flash.
Instead of crisscrossing the country in the quest for the next hot job, he hunkered down in Wisconsin. He’s spent all but two years of the past four decades in either Madison or Platteville, neither of which will ever be mistaken for Tobacco Road or Westwood.
Some coaches might head to the men’s store — or maybe the tailor — for a trip to the NCAA tournament. Ryan? He was pretty sure he was wearing the same jacket Wednesday that he wore the last time the Badgers had an NCAA tournament game in Milwaukee — 10 years ago.
So it’s no surprise Ryan doesn’t give much thought to where, or even if, he ranks on the list of great college coaches. Never mind that he’s one of only five active coaches to reach 700 wins or that his career winning percentage puts him ahead of Jim Boeheim and Rick Pitino.
“I didn’t get into teaching and coaching for the number of wins or the money,” Ryan said. “It was a passion for trying to help young people.”
That’s the motivation all coaches should have, no matter where they are in their careers. Too often, though, they get in the business and get distracted by the money or the glamour or the quest for the next best thing. It doesn’t make them bad people. It makes them human.
Ryan has managed to resist all of that. And that, not the 700 wins, is what makes him great.
“It just shows the consistency of him, year-in and year-out,” Badgers guard Josh Gasser said.
“No matter how many guys leave or are coming in, what type of roster he has, he’s always successful.”
Ryan grew up in Chester, Pa., a gritty town outside of Philadelphia.
His father was a pipe fitter who spent most of his career with the same company until health issues caused by years of inhaling asbestos fibers forced him into retirement. His mother worked her way up to business manager at a local college, despite not having a college degree.
By their words and example, the Ryans taught their son the hard work and dedication that go into a job are worth more than any reward or recognition.
“If you’re hired to do a job for a nickel, give them a dime’s worth.”
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan
“I always tell young coaches when they’re asking for advice, ‘Take a job at a place where you can coach for five years or 50 years,’ ” Ryan said. “Because if you take a job and you’re always looking left, right, behind you, in front of you, if you’re always looking in different directions, you’re not going to do as good a job with the people who believed you in the first place and hired you.
“So if you’re hired to do a job for a nickel, give them a dime’s worth.”
In Ryan’s case, it’s more like a dollar.
In 30 years, he has had one losing season; it came in his first year. He’s had 10 seasons with double-digit losses, despite spending the past 13 years in the rough-and-tumble Big Ten. The Badgers have made the NCAA tournament every year under Ryan, a mark any school would be thrilled to have.
Yet Ryan usually isn’t mentioned with Pitino, Boeheim, Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams when it comes to naming the best college coaches. Heck, he’s not even considered the best coach in the Big Ten, that honor being reserved for Tom Izzo.
Oh, his peers know how good he is. But odds are Ryan could walk into a sports bar and most fans outside of Wisconsin wouldn’t be able to place him.
Part of that is because Ryan hasn’t won a national title. Under Ryan, Wisconsin has only gotten as far as the Elite Eight, in 2005. But part of the reason is because Wisconsin, like its coach, will never be mistaken for flashy.
The Badgers have their most prolific offense of the Ryan era this season, averaging 73.5 points a game.
Their trademark, though, is stingy defense. It’s brutally effective but not always pretty.
“Coach doesn’t care what other people think,” Badgers senior guard Ben Brust said. “He’s the type of guy who wants to get stuff done and get it done the right way.”
Substance over style. Ryan has mastered it better than almost anyone.